The 28th District Court serves the community of Southgate, Michigan. This is your 24/7 information resource for the types of cases the court handles and court programs.

COURT EMPLOYEES
CAN’T PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE

THIS IS WHY:

Impartiality: Court employees have an “absolute duty of impartiality”. A court employee can never give advice or information for the purpose of favoring one court user over another.

Neutrality: Court employees must remain neutral and cannot make judgments about what is in a litigant’s best interest - only the litigant and his/her lawyer may do so. A court employee should not advise court users as to which remedies to seek or whether to avail themselves of a particular procedure or alternative.

Unauthorized practice of law: Every state has laws prohibiting the unauthorized practice of law. Only attorneys licensed by the state are permitted to practice law and give legal advice. Even if a court employee is an attorney, he/she still cannot provide legal advice because it would violate the concepts of impartiality and neutrality outlined above.